The End of Europe?

A new round of anti-austerity protests have broken out in Greece and Spain. It looks like there's no solution to the debt problems. Pundits of all persuasions are speaking about the collapse of the European Union. Nobody knows obviously how bad it will all be. But the continuing uncertainty is having a depressing effect on the world economy.

Ubermensch Romney

In a recently leaked video Mitt Romney addressed a group of wealthy donors with remarks that show how he really thinks. Romney denounced Obama supporters as "There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it." Romney further elaborated that I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

The Repubs have been playing this game of "the makers versus the takers," since the times of Nixon. Of course many of the Repubs have been feeding at the government trough for decades; big military contractors, big agribusiness corporations, and lets not forget the banking and financial interestst who seem to be "entitled" to a bailout whenever they get into trouble. This video is so embarrassing that even right wing pundits like David Brooks and William Kristol are denouncing it.

The arrogance of Romney's tone is really astonishing. Not the slightest hint of doubt. Not even the need to for a "social safety net" (like Reagan) or "a thousand points of light" (Bush I) or "compassionate conservatism" (Bush II). Romney really thinks he's better than everybody and he doesn't even try to hide it.

The Mess in Europe Continued

The BBC news website has posted an article "Eurozone Crisis Explained." Despite the belief that the Eurozone crisis was caused by government defecit spending, this was only true of Greece, not the other Eurozone countries. What actually happened is that Europe underwent its own real estate bubble, which burst in 2008. Many European governments then had to bail out their own banks at great cost. The real problem, then, was uncontrolled speculation. The European Central Bank has recently announced measures to ease the situation. Whether this does any good remains to be seen. In any case until Europe recovers the world economy will remain in bad shape.

Rigth Wing Dementia: A Growing Problem

Watching Clint Eastwoods pathetic performance at least week's GOP convention was funny: Eastwood started to harangue a chair with anti-Obama epithets. The entire episode seemed to indicate the mental deficiencies of the right wing. These are the people who aren't bothered by the flagrant lies that their candidates are saying. We've all heard of Stephen Colbert's "truthiness;" thinking that comes from "the gut" rather than the brain. It seems to have gone further than that; the right-wing are withdrawing into a twisted fantasy world shaped by morbid fears and an obssession with "charismatic" leadership. The question is; can a democracy still function when a significant portion of the population loses its grip on reality?

More Repub Stupidities

Hurricane Isaac continues to bear down on Florida, including Tampa, where the GOP convention was scheduled to start to start today. Instead the "opening ceremonies" have been cancelled. Now I don't want to give the impression that I'm making light of the situation. The country couldn't stand another disaster like hurricane Katrina or even something half as bad.

But still I have to wonder. Scheduling a convention in Florida during the middle of Hurricane Season is even dumber than scheduiling one in Fargo during January. I don't see the logic? It could be that we live in a culture where intelligence is no longer defined as erudition or competence but is confounded with a smug superior attitude like that of the Romneys. This episode, however, calls into question the judgment of the GOP.

Don't Be Stupid, Stupid!

Todd Akin, GOP candidate for Senate, made waves by declaring that it is impossible for women to become pregnant as the result of rape. The "reason" he gave for that is so ridiculous that you have to wonder how anybody could be so ignorant and stupid. Doesn't that moron listen to himself talk? Akin, and idiots like him, are not only unfit for public office but should have their brains examined.

Keeping track of GOPer stupidities eventually will cease to be funny and become merely annoying.

Lying All the Way to the White House

Mitt Romney chose Paul Ryan to be his running mate, which supposedly has energized the GOP base. The fact that Romney still has to worry about "energizing" the GOP is a sign of trouble. That could be why Romney has hit upon a new way to win the Presidency, namely, to spread lies. Lately, he's claiming that the Obama administration is going to cut 700 billion dollars from Medicare. Obama has done no such thing, but Romney apparently has no scruples. While lying has worked for other GOPers, Reagan and the Bushes, Romney is carrying this to a new low. As Mark Twain pointed out, a lie can travel around the world while the truth is putting on his shoes. Still, it would be a terrible day if Romney wins the Presidency.